Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is often regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and has held a firm place in pop culture history. The crime drama has been referred to by many artists to be their inspiration and actors who appeared in the film such as Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and Talia Shire have all become huge stars.
The Godfather has many iconic scenes, characters, and lines that have become pop cultural artifacts. Lines such as ‘Sleeping with the fishes’, and ‘Make them an offer you cannot refuse’ have been used multiple times over the years in various shapes and forms. One of the most memorable lines in the film was apparently an ad-lib that was suggested by actor Richard Castallano’s wife.
Legacy Of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather
The crime drama The Godfather was based on the best-selling novel by Mario Puzo, who sold the rights to the novel to Paramount quickly as he was in need of money. The studio immediately started working on the film, hoping to hire an Italian American to provide more authenticity to the characters.
The story behind the making of the film is as dramatic as the film itself. Francis Ford Coppola was hired to direct the film after he was fine with working at a lesser budget due to his previous film bombing at the box office. Coppola was at loggerheads with the studio at all times and was close to getting fired due to his decisions.
Coppola was usually in conflict with the studio due to his creative decisions. The studio was reportedly not on board casting Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone nor were they fine with casting Al Pacino. However, Coppola pushed extensively for the actors and the studio finally relented after watching Brando’s iconic screen test for the role.
The Godfather became the highest-grossing film of 1972 when it was released, earning $272 million at the box office against a $7 million budget. The film won Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. The Godfather was so influential that real-life gangsters reportedly changed their mannerisms after being inspired by Vito Corleone.
Richard Castellano’s Iconic Line Was Suggested By His Wife
Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather has some of the most iconic lines in film history and is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. Its dialogues from the film have made it into pop culture history. The line, ‘I’m gonna make him an offer he cannot refuse’ was selected as the second-best line of all time by the American Film Institute.
However, another one of its most iconic lines was reportedly not written in the script, which is ‘leave the gun, take the cannoli.’ The line comes in the film when the Corleone Family’s capo Peter Clemenza ‘takes out’ Paulie. The scene begins with Clemenza, played by Richard Castellano, leaving his home while his wife reminds him to get a cannoli while returning. After he executes Paulie, Clemenza asks his henchman to leave the gun but then remembers the cannoli.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the script and the original novel only had the line, ‘Leave the gun’, but Castellano’s wife, actress Ardell Sheridan suggested he add the suffix. When the actor spoke the line in the film, Francis Ford Coppola decided to leave it in. Castellano was one of the most popular actors in the film and reportedly demanded that his wife write his lines in the sequel. Coppola decided to not have him on board in the sequel.
